What if? Why not? Who says?

These are my favorite questions to master in the face of change. When flux is present, mastery is possible.

We are riding through a tsunami of change.

Our mental movies can play out horrible scenarios, especially in times of transition. Introduced by economists, the term VUCA represents multi-lateral change - both the term and the feelings are captured in the visual above by my experiential design colleague, Seda Evis.

I have watched clients courageously improv, start new businesses, and recover shattered dreams because change amplified the need for movement. For others, time-tested business models are facing unprecedented upheaval.

It is no secret that our world has shifted. Global and disruptive challenges have impacted the delivery of services and products while redefining the workforce. While this is obvious, where we are going is not. Whether real or imagined, it can feel as though we are running for our lives on a treadmill of fear.

I know fear well. I was the type of kid you could not leave alone in a room for too long. I would run out screaming for dear life because I knew something was there. “What if?” was not a very comforting question.

How do I manage VUCA with three simple questions?

Personally and professionally, it works this way for me. When considering challenges or change, the first question is, “What if things could be done differently or seen from another perspective?” or “What if there are assumptions that need to be examined or verified?” What data or insights does that provide?

Then I ask, “Why not consider X, Y, or Z possibilities?”

I assess those scenarios and answers by considering the last question. “Who says?” Who says it cannot be done? Why do they say so? What would hinder or impede progress? Has this been thwarted in the past?

These are baseline questions that allow an aerial view of any problem. With these answers, I have gotten closer to considering what is possible and hopeful. Hope is more of a journey than a destination. I don’t need any one scenario to work out because iteration and improvisation are the twin engines of managing change.

It is not survival of the fittest but survival of the adaptable.

We are in extraordinary times. "The time has come to rethink, reimagine, and recalibrate what is possible, what is desirable, and what is sustainable. It’s time to rewrite the rules."

I balance this quote from Alan Webber (Rules of Thumb) against Morgan Housel's position (Same As Ever) that while we consider change, we must give greater weight to the things that stay the same. As we rewrite the rules, we can build on the past and avoid amplifying past institutionalized errors.

I heard a line from the X-Files that said, “A dream is an answer to a question we have not yet learned to ask.”

Part of my passion is helping clients ask questions and find the answers that transform themselves, people, and projects from confusion to clarity, idea to implementation - from dream to development.

And right now? We need dreams. I am betting on them as the solutions to the things that ail us.

Personally? When many see problems, I see possibilities. I choose adventure over apprehension. I ask questions. I consider unchanging things and when appropriate, I rewrite the rules. My favorite statement in the face of fear is to be “romanced by the unknown, excited by uncertainty, and suspended by the grace of God.

Better than running scared any day.

A version of this article originally appeared in the Huffington Post.